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Inflatable fishing boat. Beginner

P

Pierre[SK]

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Good day to all.

I would like to ask you for advice, please.

Just moved to Scotland and would like to start fishing from boat. Mostly on lochs (Etive, Lomond etc.)

I would like to buy some inflatable boat as struggling with the space and have no where to parking.
I would have few questions :)
Do I need license for this small boat? If yes, would mine Canadian license be valid here in UK?
What size of boat and engine would you advice to me? I will be go mostly alone or with my wife.
I want small boat to have a bit more fun on some lochs or just a very close to coast on sea (Musselburgh, Edinburgh, Ayr. etc.)

Is there anything I should be aware when buying this kind of boat?

Hope is not too stupid questions, I never owned any boat so it very first time I trying get some info about this.

Tight lines to all of you.

Peter
 
Welcome to the Mad house Peter! You'd be wise to go put a post in the New Member's section.

There is a guy down here (in Cornwall) that does a few videos on fishing from an inflatable SIB, and he bought a nice new one about 6 months ago from Excel. I haven't got a boat either, but some of the guys that have may come along with some information.

Excel Volaire 390 Inflatable Boat ideal for all round recreational use on the water.

Excel Volaire 390 Inflatable Boat ideal for all round recreational use. Inflatable Boat and Accessories from Excel Marine. Excel are the UK's Premiere dealer for all you Inflatable boat needs.
www.excel-inflatables.co.uk

His channel is here if you want to take a look, although he's just moved to Bermuda (without his boat) for work. It might give you some more info.

 
You don"t need a license for a small boat in the UK, A Canadian license is not valid over here.
Also welcome to the banter fishing site.
Pierre[SK] said:
Good day to all.

I would like to ask you for advice, please.

Just moved to Scotland and would like to start fishing from boat. Mostly on lochs (Etive, Lomond etc.)

I would like to buy some inflatable boat as struggling with the space and have no where to parking.
I would have few questions :)
Do I need license for this small boat? If yes, would mine Canadian license be valid here in UK?
What size of boat and engine would you advice to me? I will be go mostly alone or with my wife.
I want small boat to have a bit more fun on some lochs or just a very close to coast on sea (Musselburgh, Edinburgh, Ayr. etc.)

Is there anything I should be aware when buying this kind of boat?

Hope is not too stupid questions, I never owned any boat so it very first time I trying get some info about this.

Tight lines to all of you.

Peter
Click to expand...
Welcome Peter, perhaps a rib boat may suit you other than a full inflatable.
 
John Mitchell said:
By the sound of it you will need a life jacket
Click to expand...
Pierre[SK] said:
Good day to all.

I would like to ask you for advice, please.

Just moved to Scotland and would like to start fishing from boat. Mostly on lochs (Etive, Lomond etc.)

I would like to buy some inflatable boat as struggling with the space and have no where to parking.
I would have few questions :)
Do I need license for this small boat? If yes, would mine Canadian license be valid here in UK?
What size of boat and engine would you advice to me? I will be go mostly alone or with my wife.
I want small boat to have a bit more fun on some lochs or just a very close to coast on sea (Musselburgh, Edinburgh, Ayr. etc.)

Is there anything I should be aware when buying this kind of boat?

Hope is not too stupid questions, I never owned any boat so it very first time I trying get some info about this.

Tight lines to all of you.

Peter
Click to expand...
You may find these folk are helpful. They are basically a self drive hire company , might be worth a trip or two to see the practicalities before you invest.
www.tfcboats.com

TFC Boats

Information about TFC Boats and fishing Loch Etive
www.tfcboats.com www.tfcboats.com
 
I can vouch for for Douggie Bannatyne at TFC Boats, My wife and I have been hiring his self drive boats for a few years now, he is very helpful, the boats have full safety gear and are easily managed .
I would say that Loch Etive is a good place to try your hand, there are lots of different marks and really you could latch into any species of fish , it is a bit of a lucky dip at times.
I would say though that when the weather is changeable the wind fairly whistles down the loch, and it can dump rain on you in no time at all, but then again it is Scotland, if you dont like the weather hang around for ten mins.



CBC4B3F8-2731-4B31-A478-61B5EED7F27C.jpeg


D5EA2502-71A2-402C-9345-4B5B01314740.jpeg

54D16B21-3735-4ED2-B5E1-94CBBEA6AB5B.jpeg

A couple of piccies from one of our trips in Dougies boats.

David.
 
I'd rather a RIB over a SIB any day, or one of the bigger Pioneer RTM boats if you can find storage....definitely worth investing in a RYA powerboat course .....and all the safety kit including a vhf radio....soon gets expensive mind. Good luck and stay safe?
 
Topwater said:
I'd rather a RIB over a SIB any day, or one of the bigger Pioneer RTM boats if you can find storage....definitely worth investing in a RYA powerboat course .....and all the safety kit including a vhf radio....soon gets expensive mind. Good luck and stay safe?
Click to expand...
Yep, a RIB is better than a SIB, but as Peter said in his OP, he doesn't have anywhere to park. The beauty of a SIB is it can be deflated & put in the boot of a decent sized car or small van.
 
I got that Trampster hence saying "if you can find storage". I'll expand on my reply to Peter in saying to be quite honest I'm no fan of SIBs at sea having helped a few out of trouble when conditions have changed for the worse. I've been around boats all my life and have served time on commercial ships as well as our local ILB team. Like kayaks they have their limits and too many overstep them. Just my opinion of course?
 
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I`m with topwater. Been around boats all my life including having full charter tickets (lapsed these days). SIB is useful as a tender and little else on the sea. They are very light with tiny draft and a bit of freeboard so will be at the mercy of even the gentlest of winds.
 
I have a 12' rotomoulded open boat with a 15 HP outboard. I have seen videos of them with 5 people on board, (for context).

A SIB can be OK in Force 1/2, glassy to smooth sea and little swell.
They are easier to store, my friend deflates his 12' SIB and carries it in the back of his estate car, with an 8 HP outboard.
Inflating it and getting it on the water takes about 45 minutes but can be done from places you can't launch a rigid from.
In my opinion his is very cramped, I worry about lack of space on my 12' boat, he has even less room because of the diameter of the tubes.
There are SIB owner groups who travel a long way in their boats and there is a YouTube video of someone fishing at Eddystone Lighthouse in one, 13 miles offshore.
On calm water they are OK but limited by the conditions at all other times.
Sometimes the choice of what you can do is determined by circumstances, I wouldn't take one out more than a few hundred yards in very quiet conditions, but that might be what the OP is looking for.
A VHF radio is a must, as long as there is someone in range to hear you, and you do need a licence to use one, (except in an emergency, which is why you would take one with you and use it).
A knowledge of how and when you can use a radio is critical. They are not for chatting to your mates.
Use a kill chord and a tether line.
A life jacket; no need to even talk about that.
Tell someone where you're going, for how long, and tell them when you will call them to tell them you're safely back.
I have got as far as the harbour entrance in my boat, having spent a long time getting ready to go out fishing, only to get out toward the end of Yarmouth Pier and know that heading straight back in is the only option.
There is no need for any training, licence or insurance when owning a boat in the UK.
I have an RYA Level 2 power boat licence, I thought that was a good idea before I bought a boat. I did my course on a lake in Hertfordshire, that said I have driven other people's boats on the sea quite a few times before.
 
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I would be very wary of the conditions of where you want to fish before choosing a boat.
You say you want to fish on Loch's, but beware the weather could change in an instance. If you are the person that goes to a launch and the weather is flat calm and you are only going 200mts off shore it is far different to the one that wants to go somewhere where it is choppy and blowing.
 
There are freshwater lochs and there are sea lochs for starters. Safety's key imo and with a SIB (tender) there's very little freeboard and zero protection from puncture
 
I used to have a clinker 24ft open fishing boat, 40hp outboard; lobster pots, gill, herring and trammel nets + dans. Used a power winch and greased timbers to launch and bring back in on the beach. A boat builder in Emsworth Hants used the hull to made a fibreglass boat from the mould, it made an excellent sea/fishing boat also changed the outboard to a 20hp which was more suited to the boat.
 
i had a 3.2 mtr zodak sib found that ok with 2 adults and child , solid floor 9.5 hp motor ,we found this good for us as long as not silly going out in bad weather 25 mph , but if it changed when out is was still good when coming home , things we looked at was larger tubes higher sides nice set up
 
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